Fighting between the Houthis (Ansar Allah) and Yemeni government forces spread across multiple fronts over the past week as Saudi Arabia expanded its military response to recent Houthi territorial gains along the country’s Red Sea coast.
On September 18, fighting intensified around al-Wazi’iyah in the southwestern province of Taiz. Government forces said they had repelled Houthi attacks and inflicted heavy losses. Meanwhile, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out dozens of strikes against areas under their control.
The next day, September 19, the Houthis launched strikes against Riyadh, bringing the Saudi capital directly into the latest escalation. The kingdom said a ballistic missile was intercepted by air defenses. Still, explosions were reported and a large fire was spotted at King Khalid International Airport.
On September 20, heavy fighting was reported south of the central city of Marib, a strategically important government stronghold. Government forces said they repelled Houthi attacks around Hareb, Mala’a and Um Rish, supported by fighter jets and drones.
The clashes expanded toward the strategic highlands linking Taiz and the southern province of Lahij by the next day. Fighting was reported around Kahboub, al-Wazi’iyah and Ras al-Ara on September 23, as Houthi forces pushed inland from positions seized along the Red Sea coast. Government forces also reported retaking several positions around Taiz, indicating that the front was becoming increasingly fluid.
The battle for the highlands is extremely significant because the Kahboub Mountains sit between the Red Sea coast and government-held areas around the south. The Houthis are attempting to seize these positions to protect their gains on the coast and to create routes toward additional government-held territory.
On September 22, Saudi-led aircraft struck areas around Mokha, the Red Sea port captured by the Houthis earlier in September. The Houthis reported civilian casualties. The same day, the United Kingdom announced that it would deploy an RAF Voyager tanker to provide defensive air-to-air refueling support to Saudi Arabia.
The next day, September 23, the Houthis announced that their air defenses had shot down a Saudi-operated Chinese-made Wing Loong II combat drone over Mokha in Taiz.
By September 24, the principal fighting remained concentrated around Taiz, Lahij and Marib, while Saudi strikes continued and the Houthis maintained pressure across several fronts.
All in all, Saudi Arabia has increased the pressure on the Houthis by intensifying its strikes. However, this is yet to yield any result. The group continues to advance, especially in Taiz, and its strikes on the kingdom have not stopped. Another major push by the Houthis is to be expected if the kingdom’s allies fail to reorganize and take initiative.
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